5 Best Unturned Server Hosting Companies

In recent years, survival games have become more and more popular. The threat of the environment, enemies like zombies, and the most dangerous of all, other players, brings a feeling of adrenaline that other games cannot match.

Unturned is a survival game that combines elements from games like DayZ and Rust with the cartoonish voxel graphics of Minecraft. You can gather supplies, utilize vehicles, and construct a base to ward off other players and protect yourself.

Unlike other survival games, Unturned includes multiple official maps, with the ability to download others from the Steam Workshop. Perhaps most impressively, it was first released by Nelson Sexton when he was just 16 years old.

Another great feature about Unturned is the fact that it is entirely free-to-play.

The game released out of early access on July 7th, 2017, and has been continually updated since. It is entirely playable in single-player, but like most other survival games, the most fun is to be had in multiplayer.

There are plenty of servers available for Unturned, but for those looking to control their experience, renting your own server from one of the top Unturned server hosting companies is the way to go.

Unturned Private Server Hosting

The first option available is hosting your own private server. This can be done by setting up a dedicated server on your PC through the use of port forwarding.

To keep the server on, you’ll need to keep your PC running at all times. However, you won’t need to keep Unturned running, just the server program itself.

We’ll go through a quick rundown of how to set up a dedicated server, but you can check out our full guide for detailed instructions.

First, you’ll need to navigate to Unturned.exe in your game files. Right-click this file and send it to your desktop as a shortcut (you’ll be accessing this file often).

Once there, right-click again and select the “Properties” option. Find the target location and add the following text after the target string:

-nographics -batchmode +secureserver/

After the slash, write whatever text you wish to name your server. Finally, you can run the program and the server should start.

If you want to configure the server, navigate to the server folder in the Unturned file directory. You should see a file with your server name on it. Open it, then open the server folder within.

Access the Command.dat file, and then you can add commands to the file. These include changing the server map, changing the port, password, max players, and other settings.

To join your own server, open the game and connect to the server using the IP “localhost”. If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to configure your firewall settings.

In order for friends or other people to connect, you will need to configure port forwarding settings.

Perhaps you don’t want to go through the trouble of setting up your own server or keeping your PC on constantly. In that case, renting from a server provider is a viable option with plenty of flexibility.

How We Chose

Unlike hosting your own server, when it comes to renting there are a myriad of options.

Different companies offer different features and add-ons at different prices. Additionally, you may have different goals than another server host.

Due to this, it’s difficult to evaluate one single provider as the best option. Instead, we have opted to select 5 different companies that offer excellent servers.

In our judgment, we considered features like price, server hardware, locations, service, and other features as well.

GTX Gaming offers Unturned servers from 20-100 people. At a price of just $.37 per slot, this provider is an excellent value. In fact, this is the cheapest price per slot we’ve seen, even though the absolute cost is not the cheapest.

If you want a large server, this option will provide great value for the money. Additionally, GTX Gaming offers over a dozen server locations on 5 different continents.

If you want to boost performance, upgrades are available for memory, CPU clock speed and priority, and hard drives, as well as the option to upgrade to VIP support tickets.

Other features include free DDOS protection, 1-click world back-ups, Steam Workshop, and Rocket mod support, in addition to a 24-hour refund period if you are not satisfied.

Cheapest Unturned Server Host

PingPerfect

Game Servers

Not only do they have great servers and an awesome control panel, they also have an amazing support team. Their responsiveness and helpfulness absolutely blew me away, especially when compared to the other companies on this list.

On the other hand, if you are looking for the absolute cheapest Unturned server, then PingPerfect is the way to go.

This company offers servers from 10-48 slots, starting at $.43 per slot. For 10 slots, that adds up to just $4.30. They also offer dozens of server locations on every continent besides Antarctica, although some locations might be sold out.

If you want a bit more performance, you can choose to upgrade to an SSD, improve CPU priority, or purchase platinum support.

Some of their offered features include free DDOS protection, free back-ups, and a free web server.

If you’re not fully satisfied, they also offer a 48-hour refund period.

Slots cost $.70 each, and servers are available with 18-48 slots. This provider offers 9 server locations in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Turning to the hardware itself, Host Havoc uses enterprise-class Intel Xeon processors in all their servers. All memory is high-speed DDR4 RAM, and the vast majority of their servers utilize NVMe SSDs.

If that’s not enough for you, upgrades are available for CPU priority and available RAM.

Back-ups and free DDOS protection are included with all servers.

Moving to support, Host Havoc’s average response time is 15 minutes or less. If you are not satisfied, they have an impressive 72-hour refund period.

You might instead want a server that offers a bundle of features. Nitrous Networks provides great value and a variety of features at a respectable price.

Unturned servers go for $.85 per slot. However, this is the smallest server provider, offering only 8-24 slots. Additionally, Nitrous Networks offers just 7 servers in North America and Europe.

Despite this, the number of features included makes this a great deal for smaller servers. Included with the server is a free voice server, a free website, and free Tebex Premium. Tebex is a plug-in that allows server hosts to collect donations from players.

If the previous provider is not what you’re looking for, then GameServerKings is a great alternative option.

They offer servers starting at 8 slots for $.99 per slot. Paying for a longer time period affords a discount of up to 15% for one year of hosting. Unfortunately, the max server size they offer is 32 players, so this option is best for smaller servers.

GameServerKings offers 6 locations across North America, Europe, and Australia. Available upgrades include CPU priority and the option to have a dedicated IP.

Besides those upgrades, this provider includes free DDOS protection, automatic restarts and game updates, 1-click Steam Workshop mod installation, and the ability to install mods with RocketMod.

How to Choose Unturned Server Hosting

When it comes to selecting your server provider, there are a number of things to take into consideration. Some features may or may not be necessary depending on your needs, but there are some general principles everyone must consider when evaluating companies.

The first thing to look at is player slots. If you want a massive server, you’ll have to make sure that your provider can support that number. On the flip side, if you want a small server just for friends, you should make sure the minimum slot count isn’t so high it costs substantially more.

Next, you’ll need to consider available server locations. High-end hardware is just one component of server speed, so if you’re across the ocean from your server location, your game will still be slow and laggy.

After that, you can review the hardware specifications and available RAM of the server provider. Check out the section below for more information on RAM usage.

Some companies offer mediocre hardware but include the option to upgrade for an additional cost.

Lastly, you can look at other features and the support provided. Free back-ups, game updates, and DDOS protection are all great quality-of-life improvements.

Some servers offer free web hosting or voice channels. Be sure to check if your provider offers a refund period before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Unturned server hosting is not the most straightforward concept.

To resolve concerns, the sections below answer some common questions about Unturned server hosting and the game itself.

How much does an Unturned Server Cost?

Just as server providers offer varying options, and your goals and objectives vary, the price of an Unturned server is highly variable.

Depending on what kind of server you want to rent, and how big of a server you want, the price may change greatly.

For a basic server with around 10 players, you could find yourself paying as little as $4-5 per month.

If you’d like to add additional features or improve the performance and hardware of your server, the price will tend to increase in tandem.

Higher quality servers with more features may cost 50%+ per slot than a basic server.

A large server with around 100 players could easily cost $50 or more per month, especially with add-ons.

How much RAM does an Unturned Server Require?

Due to its voxel graphics, Unturned is not a very resource-intensive game. This translates well to server requirements and RAM usage.

While there is not a ton of information regarding Unturned server RAM usage, the general consensus seems to be that not much RAM is needed.

For a server with just 10 players, 512 MB of RAM should do the job just fine. If you want around 20-30 players on your server, 2 GB might be necessary. For a massive server with 100 people, you’ll most likely need around 6-8 GB of RAM to keep it running smoothly.

What are Item Drops?

Simply by playing the game, you can receive random item drops. These provide no competitive advantage, and are purely for aesthetic purposes.

You can find different skins for weapons that will change their appearance. Other skins are for clothes that appear on your character.

These are all visual and do not add any inventory slots.

How do I change the Unturned Version?

Unturned was first released as an early access game, so multiple other versions exist. The current version is Unturned 3.

If you want to try one of the older versions, open up Steam and right-click Unturned.

Select the “Properties” option, then click on the “Betas” tab. You can then select the drop-down menu and choose one of the older beta versions to play.

What is a Gold Account?

While Unturned is entirely free, there is the option to upgrade to a gold account. Don’t worry, it doesn’t provide a competitive advantage.

Conclusion

In a category with many alternative options, a survival game like Unturned might be written off due to simplistic graphics. However, it is a deep and complex game that offers a fulfilling survival experience.

Environmental dangers and zombies lurk around every corner. Of course, if you are playing multiplayer, the biggest danger is other players. This is also when the game shines the most. Surviving against the odds and beating out other survivors is an immensely satisfying feeling.

Unturned has a variety of servers to choose from, but they cannot offer the same control and customizability as having your own server.

In that vein, you can set up a dedicated server on your PC. This takes a bit of set-up, and the server will only run while your computer is on. This may be a suitable option for some players, but an excellent alternative is renting from a server provider.

Server hosting companies offer incredible flexibility with their offerings, from small servers for friends to monstrous community servers. Best of all, they’re always running, so you can focus on surviving instead of running a server.